Ben Hodges
@general_ben
Former CG USArmyEurope, loves the Army Team, FSU football and Atlanta Braves!
Help Ukraine kill the archer...
The math of the air war in Ukraine is simple. Yes, air defenses are needed but there will never be enough expensive Patriots etc. The only way to stop Putin from bombarding Ukrainian cities is by helping Ukraine strike deep inside Russia, against the Russian defense-industrial…
#OTD 85 years ago Sumner Welles announced the United States🇺🇸 refusal to recognise the illegal Soviet occupation of the Baltic states. Nonrecognition of illegal occupation is as relevant today. We will never recognise Russia’s illegal annexation of any part of #Ukraine 🇺🇦.
Georgia's young people deserve so much better than what the Georgian Government, led by the Georgian Dream party, are doing for them. Turning away from the West, handcuffed to the Kremlin...nothing good in this for young Georgians. euronewsgeorgia.com/2025/07/22/int…
Enjoyed doing this relatively new "Brave New Something" podcast, hosted by Mark Morris from 🇨🇦. Battlefields of Tomorrow: Lt General Ben Hodges on the Future of Warfare youtu.be/ldOt5ry0v18?si… via @YouTube
Excellent by @MarkHertling Putin Belongs Before a Court, Not at the ‘Peace Table’ thebulwark.com/p/vladimir-put…
Thoughtful analysis by @Kasparov63 Why doesn’t the Administration have the self-confidence to tolerate critical media and political satire?
Stephen Colbert canceled? In America, the president can't pull a show off the air. But he might pressure a network to do it for him. And in so doing, Trump creates new norms that are difficult to reverse. Read @Kasparov63's latest. Link below. 👇
As Rome retreated, Pax Romana eroded and Rome became a regional, then irrelevant power. Western world chaos ensued until Great Britain became a global power - Pax Britannica. Then Great Britain began to retreat, yielding the field to America, and Pax Americana. 1/3
Once again, Trump has proven that he supports Putin: 1. He blocked the sanctions pushed by 85 senators. 2. He gave Putin 50 additional days to bomb Ukraine. 3. He blocks all US funding to Ukraine. 4. Yet, allows US arms sales to NATO, so that the US is not left out...
A great new European Dispatch Column (all free) by Minna Alander just appeared. Its message is clear--Be Like Denmark--a state which is being more responsible in its defense policies than almost any other in Europe. Quite some praise--coming from a Finn.
Single biggest source of oil tankers for Putin's shadow fleet is Greece (blue). That's an opportunity for the EU to grow, not sweep this under the rug. An investigation is needed to uncover how this happened. That will strengthen the EU, not weaken it. @econ_harris @BrookingsInst
Still no clearly defined strategic outcome? "Trump’s agreement to sell advanced arms to European allies so they can pass them to Ukraine is a milestone in Kyiv’s three-year-old war with Russia, but how long will it take to get them to Ukraine" wsj.com/world/europe/u… via @WSJ
"The announcements are a green-light to Putin to continue what he is doing for the rest of the summer. There is no incentive for Putin to stop bombarding Ukrainian cities, killing Ukrainian civilians for small territorial gains." @PhillipsPOBrien open.substack.com/pub/phillipspo…
‘It’s been a much worse year for Russia than Ukraine.’ Russian military bloggers have revealed ‘good signs’ that Putin’s invasion is losing steam, @general_ben says.
Superb…and painfully accurate. @GLandsbergis
Instead of geopolitical strategy, we get entertainment, but the real world doesn’t stop. landsbergis.com/thank-you-for-…
🇫🇮 Finnish President Stubb: "Putin is a strategic fool and a military failure. He wanted to destroy Ukraine, but it will become a member of the EU, and eventually NATO."
No Strategy, No Victory: Lt. Gen. Hodges on What Ukraine and The West Need Now @general_ben talks about U.S. policy in Ukraine, Putin’s manipulation, and the urgent need for strategic clarity indavemedia.com/no-strategy-no…
Putin has zero respect for President Trump...these attacks are how the Kremlin shows what it thinks about Trump's growing recognition that Putin is not serious about negotiating an end to its war against Ukraine.
In a new pattern of intensity there has been a second successive night of massive 🇷🇺 missile and drone attacks against Kiyv and other parts of 🇺🇦. This is the Kremlin policy of destruction that must be met with a 🇪🇺🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦🇯🇵 policy of determination. kyivindependent.com/russia-targets…
I hear a bus approaching…
Woah. Wonder if there will be any repercussions for the person who paused this military aid to Ukraine. What do you think?
This is a symptom of a disfunctional national security structure and process. No NatSec Advisor, hollowed-out NSC, under-staffed OSD and DOS, on top of no clearly-defined strategic objective, make it very difficult to coordinate policy, decision-implementation, and messaging.
New: SecDef Hegseth did not inform the White House before he authorized a pause on weapons shipments to Ukraine last week, 5 sources tell @NatashaBertrand & me, setting off a scramble inside the administration to understand why the halt was implemented. cnn.com/2025/07/08/pol…
So he can learn. But this, too, is meaningless unless he does something about all of Putin’s “bullshit.” Allowing less aid through than was agreed to isn’t that. More sanctions, more aid—sold to allies or directly Kyiv if need be. Talk is cheap.